Abstract
Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) varieties have high pro-vitamin A and medium amounts of iron and zinc. Drought susceptibility is perceived as one of the major drawbacks of this crop type and currently available varieties do not allow sustainable and enduring production in drought affected regions. Screening and selection for OFSP for drought tolerance could have a positive impact on the livelihood and health of vitamin A deficient people in SubSaharan Afica (SSA). In this study 18 OFSP genotypes from Lima, Peru and two Kenyan check cultivars, Marooko (drought tolerant) and K566632 (susceptible) were screened for drought tolerance at Kiboko (Latitude 010 15’ S; Longitude 360 44’ E; Altitude 975 masl) and Marigat (Latitude 0° 38, 0” N; Longitude 36° 5, 0” E; Altitude 970 masl) during the years 2008-2009. A split-plot design was used with two levels of treatment, non-irrigated and irrigated as the main factor and the genotypes as the sub-factor. All the treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design. Stress tolerance index was used to identify genotypes with high stress tolerance and high yield potential. In both site genotypes 194573.9, 420014, 440286, 189135.9, 187017.1 and 441725 showed high stress tolerance and yield potential compared with the check by registering higher stress index that ranged between 0.37- 0.96 and very low susceptibility index. The multidimensional preference analysis of the bi-plot distinguished the same genotypes as high yielding in both treatments imposed. Correlation analysis revealed that Yield potential (Yp) and Stress yield (Ys) had highly significant positive correlation coefficients with Stress Tolerance Index (STI), Mean Productivity (MP) and Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP) and they can be used as the most desirable indices for screening drought tolerance genotypes.
Highlights
Sweet potato is one of the most widely grown root crops in SubSaharan Africa, covering around 2.9 million hectares with an estimated production of 12.6 million tons of roots in 2007 [1]
These results indicate genotypes with high Stress Tolerance Index (STI) usually have high difference in yield in two different conditions
Similar ranks for the genotypes were observed by Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP) and Mean Productivity (MP) parameters as well STI, suggesting that these three parameters are in equal for selecting genotypes
Summary
Sweet potato is one of the most widely grown root crops in SubSaharan Africa, covering around 2.9 million hectares with an estimated production of 12.6 million tons of roots in 2007 [1]. It is predominantly grown in small plots by poor farmers; it is known as the poor man’s food [2]. To date Orangefleshed varieties introduced from other parts of the world or bred locally have been readily accepted in pilot areas in East Africa and preliminary results have shown that they contain sufficient levels of β-carotene to play an important role in eliminating Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) [6]. Adding 100 g of the sweet potato to the daily diet can prevent vitamin A deficiency in children and dramatically reduce maternal mortality
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
